We are back with part three of why I believe work matters to God. If you are just joining us you can read the introduction, as well as part 1 and part 2.
After talking about what work looked like in the beginning, and what it will look like in the end, that leaves us here. In the middle. So while we are still in a world occupied by sin, how do we work out of an eternal perspective?
The day to day can be hard, so when we lose perspective I think we need amno in our back pocket to pull out and remind us of what we are working towards and who we are working for. That’s what today is all about. To finish up these conversations I want to talk about the idea of stewarding things well, out of reverence for the Lord.
“Slaves obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, and not for human masters. Since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” Colossians 3:22-25
This passage is often used, but I think that is because it packs a punch. Let’s unpack it a bit shall we.
We have been told (in Revelations) that the earth will be redeemed in the future. We also know that through Christ’s blood, we as His children are redeemed now. Let’s take a second to acknowledge that when it comes to serving, Christ took the first step. It wasn’t us who called Him down from heaven to save us. The Father sent Him willingly, of His own accord. We were undeserving and He came to make a way for us. For that, we owe Him everything. The problem always starts with this. Our hearts being not tuned enough to the frequency of His outpouring of Grace. Undeserved favor. We get to take hold of this love and grace and live in it now with the promise of our future moving us forward.
So with that in mind, let’s move to the next part.
We aren’t told to serve earthly masters with everything we’ve got in order to seek their approval or recognition. We are told to do it out of reverence for the Lord, the God who took the first step towards us. He wants our reverence, and we should willingly and humbly give it. We are told through our actions at work, it is the Lord Jesus Christ we are serving.
Now that is a mission I can get behind! That is motivation when work seems dull or uninteresting. When we come to a wall in our business and feel unable to move it, sometimes we need the perspective to say “this isn’t about winning favor, this is about reverence to my God. This is about living in service to a God who has promised to heal everything that has ever been broken” (Rev 21:4).
This changes everything. Work is no longer about us. It’s about him! And hallelujah to that because goodness knows I am not enough on my own.
I’m so thankful that His word makes this perspective on work clear because otherwise I would be lost. This brings deep meaning to something we often write off as a piece of everyday life He is uninvolved in. Fellow children of God, let’s get obsessed with the idea of serving God through our work. Let’s turn this into passion and work or run our businesses in a way that will bring glory to our Father and a smile to His face.
It may be a challenge at times to know what to do. Sometimes it is hard to see His will. I am not saying it will always be easy, but thank goodness that we know He is in this with us and standing by our side.
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